Science & Technology: Best Source Of Vitamin D (What Do You Do When The Sun Isn't Shining)

8. Although a vitamin D (25-OH-D) blood level of 75 nmol/L to 80 nmol/L is considered an adequate amount to maintain optimal bone health, several recent studies have shown that a blood level greater than 120 nmol/L is required for optimal cellular signaling and for prevention of diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, MS and diabetes.

(Note: Readers of this column know that we have long recommended a level greater than 150 nmol/L because this is the level maintained by primates in the wild and by outdoor workers. We predict that more studies will recommend this level.)

UVR-induced vitamin D accounts for 80 percent to 90 percent of our daily requirement. Therefore, in order to maintain a level of 120 nmol/L, 96 nmol/L to 108 nmol/L must come from UVR—far more than can be stimulated by 15 minutes of sunlight exposure to the face and hands once or twice per week.

9. At noon on a typical Midwestern summer day, it takes 30 minutes of whole-body sunlight exposure per side (60 minutes total) to stimulate the equivalent of 10,000 IU of vitamin D (25-OH-D). It only takes six to 10 minutes to stimulate the same amount in a 360-degree sunbed.

10. In order to attain and maintain a 150 nmol/L blood level of vitamin D (25-OH-D) year-round, it only takes two to three tanning sessions of six to 10 minutes each week. The required frequency and time will depend on age, skin type/subtype and starting level of 25-OH-D. We also recommend taking a 1,000 or 2,000 IU vitamin D supplement daily.

11. It is important to note that there has never been a scientific report regarding toxicity from UVR-induced vitamin D, but there is a very real danger of toxicity when more than 10,000 IU is ingested daily. Therefore, the primary source of vitamin D should be from UVR, ideally in the carefully controlled environment of a professional indoor tanning salon.

The bottom line is that controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure (CURE) at a professional indoor tanning salon is the best way to maintain an optimal level—120 nmol/L to 150 nmol/L—of vitamin D (25-OH-D) year-round. It is imperative that the public be made aware of the fact that, a) there is a pandemic of vitamin D insufficiency in the United States; b) vitamin D insufficiency is linked to the incidence/mortality of diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, MS and diabetes; c) we can’t safely get enough vitamin D from our diet and/or supplements; and d) professional indoor tanning salons are a controlled, consistent and cost-effective source of the photons required to stimulate the production of vitamin D.

Given the information contained in this article, why aren’t millions of Americans beating a path to their neighborhood professional indoor tanning salon? Because of the irrational F.E.A.R. (F = false; E = emanations; A = appearing; R = real) of skin cancer and the incorrect belief in the often-repeated myth that a tan is a sign of skin damage. The fact of the matter is that the risk of dying prematurely from skin cancer is very small in comparison to the risk of dying prematurely from diseases such as coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, MS and diabetes. Thus, the public should be made aware that, for every person who dies prematurely each year because of overexposure to UVR, at least 300 people die prematurely each year because of the adverse consequences associated with underexposure to UVR.

Ultimately, facultative pigmentation, i.e., a tan, is the visible sign that Mother Nature’s normal, natural and contra volitional means of protecting our skin is functioning as it was designed to function. Therefore, telling someone not to tan because a tan is a sign of skin damage makes about as much sense as telling a couch potato not to exercise because doing so will result in muscle damage. In both cases, the benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the risks and are key components of a healthy lifestyle.

President John F. Kennedy once said, “The greatest enemy of the truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived, and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.” This statement is as true today as it was then. It is time—actually, past time—that the persistent, persuasive and unrealistic myths about indoor and outdoor tanning are dispelled. The health of the American public depends upon it.

Patricia E. Reykdal owns and operates four tanning salons in Tucson, Ariz. Her husband, Donald L. Smith, is director of research of the Non-Ionizing Radiation Research Institute. Together, they have written many articles promoting sensible, moderate and responsible exposure to ultraviolet radiation. You can e-mail comments or questions to reyksmith@aol.com.